Diane Kruger: Her Allure Photo Shoot

Diane Kruger was photographed by Michael Thompson in his New York City studio—and it was hardly the first time the two had met. Before her acting career, Kruger was a successful model and had worked with Thompson when she was a teenager. See outtakes from her cover shoot here, and for more images and our interview with Kruger, pick up the July issue of Allure, on newsstands June 22.

Thompson brought his first book, Michael Thompson: Images (Harry N. Abrams), and showed it to Garren, makeup artist Gucci Westman, and Allure creative director Paul Cavaco. The 2005 book not only features pictures of Kruger at age 16, but the cover image is an extreme close-up of one of her eyes.

Kruger went through the clothes on the racks with the creative team and impressed them all with her ability to identify each piece. The actress was especially excited about a voluminous Jason Wu gown, shown here—she wore it for the first shot of the day.

"Everyone wants to make her look like old Hollywood, but we thought it would be great to do a '60s look," said Westman. To do this, she blended matte brown and gray eye shadows over the actress's lids, then rimmed her upper lashes with black liquid eyeliner. She applied individual false eyelashes all over. Then she dusted the apples of her cheeks with a rosy powder blush and topped off the look with a pink-nude lipstick.

For a "sexy, Bardot-ish look," Garren spritzed Rene Furterer Volumea Spray at Kruger's roots and Garren New York Hair Tonic throughout her damp hair. After blow-drying, he set her hair with hot rollers. He brushed out the curls to create loose waves, parted the hair in the middle, and teased it at the crown of her head.

Kruger's boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson, dropped by as the crew broke for lunch. "Look at how tan my legs are!" she said, pointing to her calves, bronzed for the shoot. The couple stood with their arms around each other while they surveyed the catering options.

Will Kruger and Jackson get married? That depends on who you ask. He has said in interviews that he sees marriage in their future; Kruger, on the other hand, says, "I'm not religious, so that aspect of it means nothing. And don't get me wrong—I believe in commitment. But out of experience I know if that goes away, no paper you have signed will keep you around."

If Kruger had to choose between comfort and style...well, it's no contest. "Two years ago, I wore an haute couture gown to the Venice Film Festival, and it had a full-on corset—it was gorgeous, but it was a runway piece, and it hadn't been made for life. The bodice didn't have one of those openings at the bottom. I nearly fainted because it was so tight, and I had to go to the bathroom so badly, but it would have taken an hour to get out of that dress. But! It was soooo gorgeous!"

The actress's years of modeling experience led to her most ingrained beauty routine. "I must be very careful with my skin from modeling and working under hot lights; I break out easily. I never go to sleep without taking off my makeup."